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Heart Health Month
February makes you think about matters of the heart-
Valentine's Day, romance and ways to keep your heart healthy. OK, heart healthy choices might not be the first thing on your list when romance is found on every department store aisle - but it should be. Heart disease is the leading cause of death
in the United States and is a major disability.
Several Risk Factors for heart disease include:
High Cholesterol High Blood Pressure
Smoking Lack of Physical Activity
Obesity Diabetes
Stress
A healthy diet and lifestyle are the best weapons you have to fight heart disease. Take it one step at a time. It's important to remember it's the sum of your whole day's worth of choices that make a difference.
Healthy eating is easier than you think. Keep it simple and remember, small steps to big changes.
When grocery shopping stick to the perimeter for the majority of your purchases. You'll find whole, fresh and unprocessed foods in these sections.
Here are a few simple ideas to create a heart healthy lifestyle.
- Choose lean meats and poultry without skin
- Prepare lean meats with no added fats.
- Select fat-free, 1% fat and low-fat dairy products.
- Reduce trans-fat in your diet - read the label.
- Cut back on beverages and foods with added sugars.
- Choose and prepare foods with little or no salt. Aim for 1500mg sodium less per day.
- Keep an eye on your portion sizes.
For more information about American Heart Month, visit the American Heart Association website.
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Healthy Choices Grants
Deadline April 15, 2019
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Texas Action for Healthy Kids
Annual Summit
San Antonio, Texas
February 1, 2019
Oliver Foundation Teen Advisory Board Vice President, Summer Brown participated on the Engaging Youth Panel at the TAHK Summit. She was joined by Hannah Czajkowski, 4-H Healthy Texas Youth Ambassador and Camryn Smith, DairyMAX/FUTP 60 Ambassador.
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L-R Summer, Hannah and Camryn
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L-R Hannah, Camryn and Summer
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We are proud to announce that two of our Healthy Choices Grant Recipients were selected as Healthy School Heros at the 2019 TAHK Summit. Shanon Bandish Nash, Ridgemont Elementary, Fort Bend ISD won for her Action Based Learning Lab and Jackie Caver, Turner Elementary, Pasadena ISD for her creative PE programs, parent and family engagement on her campus.
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L-R Shannon Bandish Nash along with Stephanie Kellam,United HeathCare, Student Wellness Coordinator and Erika Bernhard, RDN, LD, CDE, Fort Bend SHAC Chair
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Jackie Caver, Physical Education and Health Specialist at Turner Elementary.
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Meet the Oliver Teen Advisory Board.
The Oliver
Foundation Teen Advisory Board is a 12-18 member
organization represented by students across the Houston area. Each month you'll meet a different member who will share their perspective on living a healthy life.
Mia Price, Board Member
The Kinkaid School - Houston, Texas
Teen Board Member 2018 - Present
Mia is an eighth grade student at The Kinkaid School. She is a member of her school's cheerleading, soccer, and golf teams. Mia is in her school's dance ensemble, is a member of the Kinkaid Middle School Assembly Committee, serves on her Middle School Executive Student Council as the Student Relations Representative, and has made the High Academic Honor Roll and the Citizenship Honor Roll the past 3 years. She was recently selected as Duke TIPS Grand Recognition Award Winner. Mia enjoys dance, playing the piano, and spending time with friends and family.
Organization for a Healthier Life
Studies have shown that stress and a lack of sleep can contribute to obesity. In order to avoid falling into this trap, I try to stay organized to help me accomplish what I need to every day in a timely fashion. In doing this, I can reduce stress and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Here are some of my organization tips:
1. Fill out a calendar every month with all of your tests, quizzes, and major project due dates. Every Sunday night you can look at this calendar to see what is coming up that week, and determine how prepared you are for each item. Use this to create a to-do list for the week, and hold yourself to it. You can tell a parent, friend, or sibling what you have to do each night and have them hold you to it if you have a tendency to procrastinate. By sticking to a schedule, you remove the stress that comes with staying up late to finish studying the night before your assessment.
2. Set a bed time for yourself. I know that nights can be busy sometimes, and it is hard to always stick to it, but by giving yourself at least eight hours of sleep every night, you are able to focus better in school the next day and feel rested and energized for the entire day. This is much easier if you remove all distractions such as your phone and TV while doing your homework, so that you can finish it faster and go to bed.
3. Always bring a healthy snack to school. It is a good idea to eat a healthy snack before an afterschool activity so that you have the energy you need to make it through, and you do not get the sugar crash that you get from an unhealthy snack. Also, if the lunch options one day are not healthy enough, then you at least have one healthy item that you can eat. Some good examples of a healthy snack that I like to bring are tangerines, pita chips and hummus, carrots and celery with ranch, and half of a turkey sandwich.
Mia Price
February 2019
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Healthy Vegan Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup soy milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1½ - 2 cups fresh blueberries
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a
muffin tin with baking cups and set aside.
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In a small bowl combine soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside to allow milk to curdle.
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In a larger bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
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Mix together sugar, canola oil, lemon zest, and vanilla extract. Add soymilk/vinegar mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients until well incorporated. Be careful not to overmix - a few lumps are okay. Fold in blueberries.
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Spoon into muffin tins, filling each cup about ¾ full. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
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Remove from heat and allow muffins to cool before removing from pan.
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Oliver Foundation
5535 Memorial Drive, Suite F, #256
Houston, Texas 77007
Info@olivefoundation.org
www.oliverfoundation.org
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